[Federal Register: July 5, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 129)]
[Notices]
[Page 44812-44815]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr05jy02-41]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
[CFDA No.: 84.083A]
Women's Educational Equity Program (WEEA); Notice Inviting
Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2002
Summary: The Secretary invites applications for new grant awards
for FY 2002 for the Women's Educational Equity Program. These grants
are authorized by subpart 21, part D, title V, of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as amended by the No Child Left Behind
Act, Public Law 107-110.
Purpose of Program: To provide financial assistance: to promote
gender
[[Page 44813]]
equity in education; to enable educational agencies to meet the
requirements of title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; and to
promote equity in education for women and girls who suffer from
multiple forms of discrimination based on sex and race, ethnic origin,
limited English proficiency, disability or age.
Eligible Applicants: Public agencies, private nonprofit agencies,
organizations, institutions, student groups, community groups, and
individuals.
Applications Available: July 5, 2002.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: August 19, 2002.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: October 18, 2002.
Available Funds: $842,000.
Estimated Range of Awards: $95,000-$200,000.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $145,000.
Estimated Number of Awards: 4-7 (The Department is not bound by any
estimates in this notice).
Note: In order to ensure the equitable distribution of grants,
the Secretary, to the extent feasible, will award a slate of grants
that address:
A variety of levels of education, including preschool,
elementary and secondary education, higher education, vocational
education and adult education;
Different regions of the United States; and
A diversity of urban, rural, and suburban entities.
Project Period: Up to 48 months. Fiscal year 2002 funds available
under this competition would be used for the first 12 months of a
project.
E-Mail Notification of Intent to Apply for Funding: The Department
will be able to develop a more efficient process for reviewing grant
applications if it has a better understanding of the number of entities
that intend to apply for funding under this competition. Therefore, the
Secretary strongly encourages each potential applicant for the Women's
Educational Equity program to notify the Department by e-mail that it
intends to submit an application for funding. The Secretary requests
that this e-mail notification be sent no later than August 5, 2002. The
e-mail notification should be sent to Diane Austin at
diane.Austin@ed.gov. Applicants that fail to provide this e-mail
notification may still apply for funding.
Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80,
81, 82, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department will award grants for the
implementation of gender equity programs in schools. Examples of
statutory activities under the program include--
(a) Assisting educational agencies and institutions to implement
policies and practices to comply with title IX of the Education
Amendments of 1972;
(b) Training for teachers, counselors, administrators, and other
school personnel, especially preschool and elementary school personnel,
in gender-equitable teaching and learning practices;
(c) Leadership training for women and girls to develop professional
and marketable skills to compete in the global marketplace, improve
self-esteem, and benefit from exposure to positive role models;
(d) School-to-work transition programs, guidance and counseling
activities, and other programs to increase opportunities for women and
girls to enter a technologically demanding workplace and, in
particular, to enter highly skilled, high-paying careers in which women
and girls have been underrepresented;
(e) Enhancing educational and career opportunities for those women
and girls who suffer multiple forms of discrimination, based on sex and
on race, ethnic origin, limited English proficiency, disability,
socioeconomic status, or age;
(f) Assisting pregnant students and students rearing children to
remain in or to return to secondary school, graduate, and prepare their
preschool children to start school;
(g) Evaluating exemplary model programs to assess the ability of
such programs to advance educational equity for women and girls;
(h) Introduction into the classroom of textbooks, curricula, and
other materials designed to achieve equity for women and girls;
(i) Programs and policies to address sexual harassment and violence
against women and girls and to ensure that educational institutions are
free from threats to the safety of students and personnel;
(j) Nondiscriminatory tests of aptitude and achievement and of
alternative assessments that eliminate biased assessment instruments
from use;
(k) Programs to increase educational opportunities, including
higher education, vocational training, and other educational programs
for low-income women, including underemployed and unemployed women, and
women receiving Aid to Families with Dependent Children benefits;
(l) Programs to improve representation of women in educational
administration at all levels; and
(m) Planning, development, and initial implementation of:
Comprehensive institution- or districtwide evaluatio to
assess the presence or absence of gender equity in educational
settings;
Comprehensive plans for implementation of equity programs
in State and local educational agencies and institutions of higher
education, including community colleges; and
Innovative approaches to school-community partnerships for
educational equity.
Note: Due to a limited budget, the Department is not inviting
applications under CFDA 84.083B (research and development
grants) for FY 2002.
Invitational Priority for Implementation Grants: The Secretary
invites and encourages applications that meet one or more of the
following three invitational priorities for implementation grants:
(1) Projects that replicate or expand, and evaluate exemplary model
programs that advance educational equity and contribute to improving
teaching and learning for girls and women with disabilities. The
Secretary is particularly interested in projects that include one of
the following:
(a) Programs involving disabled girls and women who are likely to
experience, or have experienced, multiple forms of discrimination based
on sex, race, ethnic origin, limited English proficiency, disability,
socioeconomic status or age;
(b) Mentoring programs and leadership training for disabled girls
and women; and
(c) Identification of curricula and other materials designed to
achieve equity for girls and women with disabilities and the effective
implementation of these materials in the classroom.
(2) Projects that assist pregnant students and students with
children to:
(a) Remain in or return to secondary school and graduate;
(b) Prepare their preschool children for school with an emphasis on
reading;
(c) Explore postsecondary training and education.
(3) Projects that increase the role of parents in working in
partnership with educational institutions to develop programs to
encourage the full educational development of girls and women
(4) Projects that seek to increase opportunities for girls and
women to enter a technologically demanding
[[Page 44814]]
workplace and, in particular, to enter highly skilled careers in which
women have been underrepresented, particularly in mathematics,
scientific and information technology fields.
Note: An application that meets this invitational priority does
not receive competitive or absolute preference over other
applications.
Selection Criteria for Implementation Grants: The Secretary
evaluates applications for implementation grants on the basis of the
following criteria. The maximum possible score for each criterion is
indicated in parentheses with the criterion. The Secretary awards up to
100 points for all of the criteria.
(1) Effectively achieving the purposes of WEEA. (10 points)
The Secretary reviews each application to determine how well the
project will effectively achieve the purposes of the WEEA Program.
Note: Applicants should consider the following statutory
provisions when responding to this criterion. Under 20 U.S.C. 7283a,
the purpose of the WEEA program is: (a) To promote gender equity in
education in the United States; (b) to provide financial assistance
to enable educational agencies and institutions to meet the
requirements of title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972; and
(c) to promote equity in education for women and girls who suffer
from multiple forms of discrimination based on sex, race, ethnic
origin, limited-English proficiency, disability, or age. Under 20
U.S.C. 7283d(e) nothing in this subpart shall be construed as
prohibiting men and boys from participating in any program or
activity assisted with funds under this subpart.
(2) Project as a component of a comprehensive plan. (10 points)
The Secretary reviews each application to determine the extent to
which the project is a significant component of a comprehensive plan
for educational equity and compliance with title IX of the Educational
Amendments of 1972 in the particular school district, institution of
higher education, vocational-technical institution, or other
educational agency or institution.
(3) Implementing an institutional change strategy. (5 points)
The Secretary reviews each application to determine the extent to
which the project implements an institutional change strategy with
long-term impact that will continue as a central activity of the
applicant after the WEEA grant has been terminated.
(4) Need for project. (10 points)
The Secretary considers the need for the proposed project. In
determining the need for the proposed project, the Secretary considers
the following factors:
a. The magnitude of the need for the services to be provided or the
activities to be carried out by the proposed project.
b. The extent to which the proposed project will promote equity in
educational and career opportunities for those women and girls who
suffer multiple forms of discrimination, based on sex and race, ethnic
origin, limited English proficiency, disability, or age.
(5) Quality of the project design. (20 points)
The Secretary considers the quality of the design of the proposed
project. In determining the quality of the design of the proposed
project, the Secretary considers the following factors:
a. The extent to which the goals, objectives, and outcomes to be
achieved by the proposed project are clearly specified and measurable.
b. The extent to which the design of the proposed project is
appropriate to, and will successfully address, the needs of the target
population or other identified needs.
c. The extent to which the design of the proposed project reflects
up-to-date knowledge from research and effective practice.
d. The extent to which the project promotes the involvement of
parents.
(6) Quality of Project Personnel. (10 points)
The Secretary considers the quality of the personnel who will carry
out the proposed project. In determining the quality of project
personnel, the Secretary considers the extent to which the applicant
encourages applications for employment from persons who are members of
groups that have traditionally been underrepresented based on race,
color, national origin, gender, age, or disability. In addition, the
Secretary considers the following factors:
a. The qualifications, including relevant training and experience,
of the project director or principal investigator.
b. The qualifications, including relevant training and experience,
of key project personnel.
c. The qualifications, including relevant training and experience,
of project consultants or subcontractors.
(7) Adequacy of resources. (5 points)
The Secretary considers the adequacy of resources for the proposed
project. In determining the adequacy of resources for the proposed
project, the Secretary considers the following factors:
a. The adequacy of support, including facilities, equipment,
supplies, and other resources, from the applicant organization or the
lead applicant organization.
b. The extent to which the budget is adequate to support the
proposed project.
(8) Quality of the management plan. (15 points)
The Secretary considers the quality of the management plan for the
proposed project. In determining the quality of the management plan for
the proposed project, the Secretary considers the following factors:
a. The adequacy of the management plan to achieve the objectives of
the proposed project on time and within budget, including clearly
defined responsibilities, time lines, and milestones for accomplishing
project tasks.
b. The extent to which the time commitments of the project director
and principal investigator and other key project personnel are
appropriate and adequate to meet the objectives of the proposed
project.
c. How the applicant will ensure that a diversity of perspectives
are brought to bear in the operation of the proposed project, including
those of parents, teachers, the business community, a variety of
disciplinary and professional fields, recipients or beneficiaries of
services, or others, as appropriate.
(9) Quality of the project evaluation. (15 points)
The Secretary considers the quality of the evaluation to be
conducted of the proposed project. In determining the quality of the
evaluation, the Secretary considers the following factors:
a. The extent to which the methods of evaluation are thorough,
feasible, and appropriate to the goals, objectives, and outcomes of the
proposed project.
b. The extent to which the methods of evaluation include the use of
objective performance measures that are clearly related to the intended
outcomes of the project and will produce quantitative and qualitative
data to the extent possible.
c. The extent to which the methods of evaluation will provide
performance feedback and permit periodic assessment of progress toward
achieving intended outcomes.
d. The extent to which the evaluation will provide guidance about
effective strategies suitable for replication or testing in other
settings.
Note: Applicants should consider the following statutory
provision when responding to this criterion. Under 20 U.S.C.
7283c(1), applicants for WEEA funds are required to describe
policies and procedures that will ensure a comprehensive evaluation
of the grant activities, including an evaluation of the practices,
policies, and materials used by the applicant and an evaluation or
estimate of the continued significance of the work of the project
following completion of the award period.
For Applications Contact: Education Publications Center (ED Pubs),
P.O. Box
[[Page 44815]]
1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398. Telephone (toll free): 1-877-433-7827.
FAX: (301) 470-1244. If you use a telecommunications device for the
deaf (TDD) you may call (toll free): 1-877-576-7734.
You may also contact ED Pubs at its Web site: http://www.ed.gov/
about/ordering.jsp
Or you may contact ED Pubs at its e-mail address:
edpubs@inet.ed.gov
If you request an application from ED Pubs, be sure to identify
this competition as follows: CFDA number 84.083A.
For Content Information and Technical Assistance Contact: Diane
Austin, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room
3E124, Washington, DC 20202-6140. Telephone: (202) 260-1393 or via
Internet: diane.austin@ed.gov
Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer
diskette) on request using the contact information provided under For
Applications Contact.
Electronic Access to This Document
You may view this document, as well as all other Department of
Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe
Portable Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at the following site:
www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister
To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available
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Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1-888-293-6498; or in
the Washington, DC area at (202) 512-1530.
Note: The official version of this document is the document
published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the
official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal
Regulations is available on FPO access at: http://
www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 6651(b).
Dated: July 1, 2002.
Susan B. Neuman,
Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education.
[FR Doc. 02-16888 Filed 7-3-02; 8:45 am]
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